Design and synthesis of novel, potent and selective hypoxanthine analogs as adenosine A1 receptor antagonists and their biological evaluation.

Multipronged approach was used to synthesize a library of diverse C-8 cyclopentyl hypoxanthine analogs from a common intermediate III. Several potent and selective compounds were identified and evaluated for pharmacokinetic (PK) properties in Wistar rats. One of the compounds 14 with acceptable PK parameters was selected for testing in in vivo primary acute diuresis model. The compound demonstrated significant diuretic activity in this model.

The first example of palladium-catalyzed cascade amidine arylation-intramolecular ester amidation for the synthesis of hypoxanthines: application to the synthesis of 8-azanebularine analogues.

8-Azanebularine analogues display interesting antiviral, antitumour and biochemical activities. However, typical glycosylation of 8-azapurines always resulted in the desired products in low yields due to the lack of stereo- and regioselectivity of the glycosylation reaction. Herein, a concise synthetic route toward 8-azanebularine analogues has been developed. Key steps involve a copper-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of a 1-ß-azido sugar moiety with ethyl 3-bromopropiolate and a palladium-catalyzed cascade amidine arylation-intramolecular ester amidation reaction to build the hypoxanthine structural motif. This protocol affords a facile methodology for the synthesis of a series of novel 8-azanebularine analogues from the readily accessible 1-ß-azido sugar moiety under mild conditions.

Practical synthesis of natural plant-growth regulator 2-azahypoxanthine, its derivatives, and biotin-labeled probes.

We describe a practical, large-scale synthesis of the "fairy-ring" plant-growth regulator 2-azahypoxanthine (AHX), and its biologically active hydroxyl metabolite (AOH) and riboside derivative (AHXr). AHXr, a biosynthetic intermediate, was synthesized from inosine via a biomimetic route. Biotinylated derivatives of AHX and AHXr were also synthesized as probes for mechanistic studies.

Synthetic and biological studies of tubulin targeting c2-substituted 7-deazahypoxanthines derived from marine alkaloid rigidins.

C2-aryl- and C2-alkyl-7-deazahypoxanthines as analogues of marine alkaloid rigidins were prepared utilizing novel synthetic methods developed for the construction of the pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine ring system. The new compounds exhibited sub-micromolar to nanomolar antiproliferative potencies against a panel of cell lines including in vitro models for drug-resistant tumors, such as glioblastoma, melanoma and non-small-cell lung cancer. A selected representative C2-methyl-7-deazahypoxanthine was found to inhibit microtubule dynamics in cancer cells, lending evidence for tubulin targeting as a mode of action for these compounds in cancer cells. The results of the docking studies utilizing the colchicine site on ß-tubulin were consistent with the observed structure-activity relationship data, including an important finding that derivatization at C2 with linear alkyl groups leads to the retention of activity, thus permitting the attachment of a biotin-containing linker for the subsequent proteomics assays. Because many microtubule-targeting compounds are successfully used to fight cancer in the clinic, the reported antitubulin rigidin analogues have significant potential as new anticancer agents.

The source of "fairy rings": 2-azahypoxanthine and its metabolite found in a novel purine metabolic pathway in plants.

Rings or arcs of fungus-stimulated plant growth occur worldwide; these are commonly referred to as "fairy rings". In 2010, we discovered 2-azahypoxanthine (AHX), a compound responsible for the fairy-ring phenomenon caused by fungus; AHX stimulated the growth of all the plants tested. Herein, we reveal the isolation and structure determination of a common metabolite of AHX in plants, 2-aza-8-oxohypoxanthine (AOH). AHX is chemically synthesized from 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide (AICA), and AHX can be converted into AOH by xanthine oxidase. AICA is one of the members of the purine metabolic pathway in animals, plants, and microorganisms. However, further metabolism of AICA remains elusive. Based on these results and facts, we hypothesized that plants themselves produce AHX and AOH through a pathway similar to the chemical synthesis. Herein, we demonstrate the existence of endogenous AHX and AOH and a novel purine pathway to produce them in plants.

7-aminobutynyl-8-aza-7-deazahypoxanthine as a quasi-universal nucleobase.

Several 7-(hydroxy, amino, methylureido, and guanidino)alkynyl-substituted 8-aza-7-deaza- hypoxanthine analogues were investigated as potential universal nucleobases. 7-Aminobutynyl-8-aza-7-deazahypoxanthine was found to be the most promising quasi-universal nucleobase with improved hybridization and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) enhancing properties as compared to commonly used hypoxanthine (the nucleobase of inosine). It demonstrated improved ambiguity for pairing with A, T, and C bases and its base pairing properties can be summarized as follows: X:C∼X:A∼X:T > X:G. The improvement in PCR performance directly correlated with primer's Tm. Primers containing multiple 7-aminobutynyl-8-aza-7-deazahypoxanthines were successfully used without noticeable inhibition of Taq polymerase activity provided the modifications are positioned more than two bases away from the 3' end.

Synthesis and anti-Hantaan virus activity of N(1)-3-fluorophenyl-inosine.

As part of an ongoing effort to develop new antiviral nucleoside analogs, our interest was drawn to N(1)-aryl purines as a novel structural class and potential scaffold for drug discovery. Herein, we describe the synthesis of N(1)-3-fluorophenyl-inosine (FPI) and N(1)-3-fluorophenyl-hypoxanthine (FP-Hx) and their antiviral activity against hantaviruses. The EC(50) for FPI and FP-Hx were 94 and 234microM, respectively, against Hantaan virus. FPI was not toxic to mammalian cells at concentrations that exhibited antiviral activity. Analysis of its metabolism revealed a low conversion of FPI in Vero E6 or human cells to a 5'-triphosphate, and it was a poor substrate for human purine nucleoside phosphorylase. Further, the compound did not alter GTP levels indicating FPI does not inhibit inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase. With respect to the virus, FPI did not decrease viral RNA levels or increase the mutation frequency of the viral RNA. This suggests that the antiviral activity of FPI might be solely due to the interaction of FPI or its metabolites with viral or host proteins involved in post-replication events that would affect the levels of infectious virus released. Synthesis of other compounds structurally similar to FPI is warranted to identify more potent agents that selectively abrogate production of infectious virus.

Structural elucidation of a novel DNA-DNA cross-link of 1,2,3,4-diepoxybutane.

DNA-DNA cross-linking by 1,2,3,4-diepoxybutane (DEB) is considered the molecular basis for its potent cytotoxic and genotoxic effects. DEB reactions with DNA initially lead to N7-(2'-hydroxy-3',4'-epoxybut-1'-yl)-guanine monoadducts, which can then alkylate neighboring DNA bases to form bifunctional lesions. We recently reported the structures of four regioisomeric guanine-adenine adducts of DEB involving the N7 position of guanine and the N1, N3, N6, and N7 positions of adenine (Park, S., et al. (2004) Chemical Research in Toxicology 17, 1638-1651). In the present work, a novel bifunctional DNA lesion of DEB was identified as 1-(hypoxanth-1-yl)-4-(guan-7-yl)-2,3-butanediol (N1HX-N7G-BD). An authentic standard of N1HX-N7G-BD was prepared and structurally characterized by proton NMR, UV, and mass spectrometry. HPLC-ESI-MS/MS analyses of acid hydrolysates of DEB-treated calf thymus DNA revealed a peak that had the same retention time, MS/MS fragmentation, and UV spectrum as the authentic standard of N1HX-N7G-BD. We propose that N1HX-N7G-BD is formed by the hydrolytic deamination of previously reported 1-(aden-1-yl)-4-(guan-7-yl)-2,3-butanediol. Although N1HX-N7G-BD adducts are less abundant in DEB-treated DNA than the corresponding guanine-guanine cross-links, they may play a role in the induction of both AT and GC base pair mutations.

Novel potent and selective alphavbeta3/alphavbeta5 integrin dual antagonists with reduced binding affinity for human serum albumin.

The binding of lead compounds and drugs to human serum albumin (HSA) is a ubiquitous problem in drug discovery since it modulates the availability of the leads and drugs to their intended target, which is linked to biological efficacy. In our continuing efforts to identify small molecule alpha(V)beta(3) and alpha(V)beta(5) dual antagonists, we recently reported indoles 2-4 as potent and selective alpha(V)beta(3)/alpha(V)beta(5) antagonists with good oral bioavailability profile. In spite of subnanomolar binding affinity of these compounds to human alpha(V)beta(3) and alpha(V)beta(5) integrins, high HSA binding (96.5-97.3%) emerged as a limiting feature for these leads. Structure-activity HSA binding data of organic acids reported in the literature have demonstrated that the incorporation of polar groups into a given molecule can dramatically decrease the affinity toward HSA. We sought to apply this strategy by examining the effects of such modifications in both the central core constrain and the substituent beta to the carboxylate. Most of these derivatives were prepared in good yields through a cesium fluoride-catalyzed coupling reaction. This reaction was successful with a variety of nitrogen-containing scaffolds (20, 33, and 43) and selected acetylenic derivatives (16, 19, and 34). Among the compounds synthesized, the 3-[5-[2-(5,6,7,8-tetrahydro [1,8]naphthyridin-2-yl)ethoxy]indol-1-yl]-3-[5-(N,N-dimethylaminomethyl)-3-pyridyl]propionic acid (25) was found to be the most promising derivative within this novel series with a subnanomolar affinity for both alpha(v)beta(3) and alpha(v)beta(5) (IC(50) = 0.29 and 0.16 nM, respectively), similar to our initial lead receptor antagonists 2-4, and exhibiting a low HSA protein binding (40% bound, K(d) = 1.1+/-0.4 x 10(3) microM) and an improved in vitro stability profile toward human and mouse microsomes (99.9% and 98.7% remaining after 10 min). Moreover, the selectivity of 25 toward alpha(5)beta(1) and IIbIIIa integrins was perfectly maintained when compared to the parent leads 2-4. Thus, compound 25 was selected as a new lead with improved drug-like properties for further evaluations in the field of oncology and osteoporosis.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of 9-(5',5'-difluoro-5'-phosphonopentyl)guanine derivatives for PNP-inhibitors.

9-(5',5'-Difluoro-5'-phosphonopentyl)guanine (DFPP-G) and its hypoxanthine analogue (DFPP-H) were modified by introducing a methyl group to all possible positions of the linker connecting a purine and difluoromethylenephosphonic acid moiety to evaluate the effects of the methyl group on inhibition against purine nucleoside phosphorylase. The methyl group on the linker affected the inhibition in a positional-dependent manner. Inhibitory potency of alpha-methyl and beta-methyl-substituted analogues of DFPP-H increased by about 600- to 1000-fold upon converting to cyclopropane nucleotide analogue (+/-)-4.

2-Alkyloxyalkylthiohypoxanthines as new potent inhibitors of xanthine oxidase.

The title compounds were prepared and tested as xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitors. Results evidenced that potency was related to the position of the oxygen atom in the 2-linear chain and that it grew with distance from the sulfur atom until it became equipotent to 2-n-hexylthiohypoxanthine. Enzymatic oxidation on C(2) occurred in the 8-alkylthiohypoxanthines. On the contrary, oxidation on C(8) did not occur in the 2-alkythioderivatives, demonstrating that the chain forced these molecules to form a complex with molybdenum(VI) involving only the N(3) and N(9) nitrogen atoms.

Chiral pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine and pyrimido[4,5-b]indole derivatives: structure-activity relationships of potent, highly stereoselective A1-adenosine receptor antagonists.

A series of 33 novel, mostly chiral pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine and pyrimido[4,5-b]indole derivatives has been synthesized and investigated in radioligand binding assays at the high-affinity adenosine receptor (AR) subtypes A1 and A2a. The compounds can be envisaged as adenine and hypoxanthine analogs lacking the nitrogen in the 7-position (7-deazaadenines and 7-deazahypoxanthines). 7-Deazaadenines were much more potent than 7-deazahypoxanthines at AR with A1AR affinities in the low-nanomolar range, extraordinarily high selectivity for the rat brain A1AR versus the A2aAR (several thousandfold), and high stereoselectivity (up to 96-fold). Pyrimido[4,5-b]indoles were more potent A1AR antagonists compared to pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines. Compound 34a (APEPI) is one of the most potent and most selective nonxanthine A1AR antagonists known to date (Ki = 2.8 nM, > 2000-fold A1-selective). A new class of very potent A1AR antagonists has been identified, namely, 2-phenyl-7-deazaadenines bearing a substituent at the exocyclic amino group (N4-substituted pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines). (R)-N- (1-Phenylethyl)-4-amino-5,6-dimethyl-2-phenyl-7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin e (DPEAP, 17a) showed a Ki value of 6.7 nM at A1AR and > 4000-fold A1 selectivity. Different binding modes are postulated for the N4-substituted 4-aminopyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines (e.g., 17a) and the 7-substituted derivatives (e.g., 1a), based on a comparison of steric, electronic, and hydrophobic properties of the two classes of compounds. Water solubility and lipophilicity have been determined for selected compounds. 4-Amino-5,6-dimethyl-2-(3-chlorophenyl)-7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine (4a) showed the highest water solubility/A1AR affinity ratio of 368 in the present series, over 2000-fold A1 selectivity, and 64-fold stereoselectivity (R > S). Therefore, 4a should be an interesting compound for in vivo evaluation.

Structure-activity relationships of beta-D-(2S,5R)- and alpha-D-(2S,5S)-1,3-oxathiolanyl nucleosides as potential anti-HIV agents.

The beta-D-(2S,5R)- and alpha-D-(2S,5S)-1,3-oxathiolanylpyrimidine and -purine nucleosides with natural nucleoside configuration were synthesized and evaluated against HIV-1 in human peripheral blood mononuclear (PBM) cells. The key intermediate 14, which was utilized for the synthesis of various nucleosides, was synthesized from D-mannose or D-galactose. Condensation of the acetate 14 with thymine, uracil, cytosine, and 5-substituted uracils and cytosines gave various pyrimidine nucleosides. The acetate 14 was also condensed with 6-chloropurine and 6-chloro-2-fluoropurine which were converted to various purine nucleosides. In the case of thymine, uracil, and 5-substituted uracil derivatives, most of the compounds did not exhibit any significant anti-HIV activity except 5-fluorouracil (alpha-isomer) derivative 55. Among 5-substituted cytosine analogues, 5-bromocytosine derivative (beta-isomer) 68 was found to be the most potent anti-HIV agent. In the case of purine derivatives, inosine analogue (beta-isomer) 78 was found to be the most potent anti-HIV agent in the 6-substituted purines and 2-amino-6-chloropurine derivative (beta-isomer) 90 showed the most potent activity in the 2,6-disubstituted purine series. The beta-isomers of 6-chloropurine (74), adenine (76), and N6-methyladenine (77) derivatives showed similar potencies against HIV-1, and the corresponding alpha-isomers also exhibited significant anti-HIV activity, although they were generally less potent than the beta-isomers.

Xanthine oxidase (XO): relative configuration of complexes formed by the enzyme, 2- or 8-n-alkyl-hypoxanthines and 2-n-alkyl-8-azahypoxanthines. XII.

Several 2- or 8-n-alkyl-hypoxanthines and a 2,8-di-n-pentyl-hypoxanthine were synthesized and tested as substrates or inhibitors of Xanthine Oxidase (XO). 8-Alkyl derivatives showed a substrate behaviour, whereas 2-alkyl substituted compounds were non-substrates and inhibitors. 2,8-di-n-pentyl-hypoxanthine was ineffective as inhibitor. The comparison between their activity allowed us to conclude that the complexes formed by the enzyme and the cited n-alkylhypoxanthines or 2-n-alkyl-8-azahypoxanthines involve their N(3) and N(9) positions in all the cases. The position of the n-alkyl chain determines the disposition of the molecule inside the complex: 2-n-alkyl-hypoxanthines and 2-n-alkyl-8-azahypoxanthines gave complexes with the same orientation of heterocyclic moieties, opposite that given by 8-n-alkyl-hypoxanthines.

Inhibitors of human purine nucleoside phosphorylase. Synthesis and biological activities of 8-amino-3-benzylhypoxanthine and related analogues.

A series of 3-substituted hypoxanthines (6-10, 14-17) and related analogues (22, 23) have been synthesized as inhibitors of purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP), which may conceivably act as T-cell-selective immunosuppressive agents with potential utility in autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, in organ transplantations, and in T-cell leukemias. The compounds were evaluated for their PNP activity by a radiochemical assay and also for their cytotoxic effects on a T-lymphoblastoid cell line (MOLT-4). Appropriate substitutions on 3-benzylhypoxanthine (7a) (IC50 in PNP assay, 112 microM; IC50 in MOLT-4 assay, 204.2 microM) increase potency: 8-amino (17a; 42.6, 65.2), 2-hydroxy (9a; 13.4, 28.6), 2-amino (10a; 11.4, 29.1), and 2,8-diamino (16a; 5.0, 11.9). Variation of the 3-aryl substituents of 16a as in 16b-d has thus far failed to further increase potency. Replacement of the 6-oxygen function in 7a with the analoguous nitrogen or sulfur functions, as in 22a and 23a, resulted in little change in activity. Other variations including the increase of the 3-aliphatic chain length as in 6h and 7h (n = 2), the substitution of the phenyl ring with electron-withdrawing groups as in 7e-g, and replacement of the 2-hydrogen with methylthio as in 8a and 14a resulted in decrease of activity. The values for 16a-d represent moderate but significant activities, as compared to the most active inhibitor presently known, 8-amino-9-thienylguanine (1c; 0.17, 0.82). 2,8-Diamino-3-substituted hypoxanthines (16a-d) represent a novel structural type hitherto unreported in the literature, and efficient methodologies for their synthesis were developed in the present studies. The formation of the aminoimidazole moiety occurred through a base-catalyzed 1,5-(O----N)-carbamimidoyl rearrangement (13 to 14, 20 to 16).

Purines. LI. Synthesis and biological activity of hypoxanthine 7-N-oxide and related compounds.

A detailed account is given of the first chemical synthesis of hypoxanthine 7-N-oxide (5), which started from coupling of 6-chloro-5-nitro-4(3H)-pyrimidinone (7) with N-(4-methoxybenzyl)phenacylamine, generated in situ from the hydrochloride (8), and proceeded through cyclization of the resulting phenacylaminopyrimidinone (9) and removal of the 4-methoxybenzyl group. The results of catalytic hydrogenolysis, methylation followed by catalytic hydrogenolysis, and rearrangement under acidic conditions of 5 supported the correctness of the assigned structure. An ultraviolet spectroscopic approach suggested that the neutral species of 5 exists in H2O mainly as the N(7)-OH tautomer (21). In the in vitro bioassay of antileukemic activity against murine L5178Y cells, 5 was weakly cytotoxic, with IC50 of 100 micrograms/ml. It did not show any antimicrobial activity even at 1000 micrograms/ml. None of the 9-(4-methoxybenzyl) (11) and O-methyl (12, 13, and 14) derivatives was found to be antileukemic or antimicrobial.

ST 789 and ST 789 analogs: synthesis and analytical profile.

The procedure followed for the preparation of ST 789 and a series of origin derivatives analogs to ST 789 are described. A complete analytical profile of ST 789 and a concise profile of its analogs are also reported, together the purification methods applied.

Synthetic biological response modifiers; Part 1. Synthesis and immunomodulatory properties of some N2-(omega-(hypoxanthin-9-yl)alkoxycarbonyl)-L-arginines.

The synthesis and the main chemical and physical properties of some N2-(omega-(hypoxanthin-9-yl)alkoxycarbonyl)-L-arginines are described. The ability of the synthesized compounds to modulate the natural cytotoxic response (NK cells) in mice has also been analyzed and described.

Xanthine oxidase inhibition: effect of an N-alkyl substituent on C-2 of the nucleus of 8-azahypoxanthine.

Several new 2-n-alkyl-8-azahypoxanthines were synthesized and tested. The compounds were obtained from 4(5)-amino-5(4)-carbamoyl-1,2, 3-triazole and the suitable ethyl alkanoate in the presence of sodium ethoxide. The inhibitory activity of these compounds against xanthine oxidase was dependent on the length of the alkyl chain of the substituent: 2-n-hexyl-8-azahypoxanthine was the most active product. This fact pointed out the great importance of the weak interaction between the substituent and the adjacent region of the active site of the enzyme.

Antitumor agents. 86. Synthesis and cytotoxicity of alpha-methylene-gamma-lactone-bearing purines.

alpha-Methylene-gamma-lactones covalently linked to adenine, hypoxanthine, and guanine were synthesized by using the convenient Reformatsky-type reaction between ethyl alpha-(bromomethyl)acrylate and the proper purine ketones. In vitro cytotoxicity data demonstrated that these compounds were active against L-1210 tissue culture cells with 3 being most potent (ED50 = 0.3 microgram/mL).